


Finally, He Came Home

by minuet88



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Boys Kissing, Drunkenness, Fluffy, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-03-01
Updated: 2013-03-07
Packaged: 2017-12-03 23:30:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,408
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/703886
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/minuet88/pseuds/minuet88
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Harry struggled to get his happiness back. Niall is just starting to genuinely be happy again, but knows something is missing. When Harry makes a SNAFU and it throws him in to Niall's life again, it is just what everyone needed to finally be complete.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Part One

He remembered that first year after the X Factor tour, right after “What Makes You Beautiful” came out, and he was still dressing like a grandpa. He remembers the pure joy that still surrounded them all. Louis still happily snatched bags of carrots and tiny toy Lamborghinis, Liam still had the patience to act obnoxious about spoons, and Zayn tried as best he could to not get hurt over mirror jokes, and Niall giggled over Nandos coupons and shamrocks. Honestly, Niall would probably still giggle over Nandos coupons and shamrocks. 2011 was a damn good year. 

Well, it had been four years since Take Me Home, and all of that had gone by the wayside. Harry was dressing a bit like a grandpa again, but that was about all that was the same. That was about all that he can hold on to and try to bring that happiness back into his life. Louis went off in to the sunset with Eleanor; they have a tiny, squirming bundle of their own joy now in Max. Liam and Dani split ages ago. Liam has the indie career that Harry, himself, thought he would gain when he was trying to escape into obscurity. Niall, went back home, and after living back with his dad in Mullingar for a year or so he opened a studio out in the middle of the Midlands in Ireland on enough land that no camera could zoom in and find the lad anymore. Zayn had also run away, and it was quite possible he was better at that than he was at singing and being handsome. The Sun still got pictures of the rest of them, even their friends. But it was a rare thing indeed to see a picture of Zayn plastered on the front page with “What the Bradford Bad Boy is Doing Now!!” in blinding yellow under his face. 

Harry guesses that being back in London was another way of trying to grab on to his joy again. There were little bits of his youth tucked in the nooks and crannies of the city. Afternoons spent teasing fans in Primrose Hill, hiding in Nick Grimshaw’s flat just over the way from there, every club Zayn dragged him too, or all the tiny pubs Niall proclaimed had the best chips in the entire world. There were scars of him and Louis on trees and the backs of doors in changing rooms from when “Larry Stylinson” was still fun and not an over-thought, hurtful, conspiracy theory. Louis would write or carve their initials into everything hoping fan girls would find them. It was actually startling exactly how many they did find. Then, of course, there were toy stores and carnivals and fairs that made Liam have a face scrunched with exuberance for the whole day. Liam was trying to hold on to his youth even harder than Lou when he turned twenty. 

All of that went by the wayside for Harry though. There was no more One Direction. Everyone said it was a mutual decision, that everyone was tired and needed a hiatus to get their heads back on straight. Harry knew better though. He knew One Direction would have had a good couple more years if he had just tried a little harder and that third album would have come out. If only he hadn’t pushed everyone away so very hard. Touring, interviews and screaming girls were exhausting. However, it wasn’t those things that broke Harry down. It wasn’t even the speculation of his love life that made him give up and try to see if he could do it on his own. It was the uncomfortable feelings he had developed for his band mates that forced him to leave. The genuine co-dependency is what terrified him enough that he had to walk away. The floating feeling he got when he looked too long in Niall’s eyes didn’t exactly calm his fears either. 

Twenty-three was entirely too young to have done all the living that he had. Twenty-three was entirely too young to have that much to leave behind. 

With a huff Harry shuffled on the park bench. Hampstead Heath was just as beautiful as he had remembered, and the bench seats were just as hard. Nowadays, Harry took to only going out to sit in parks in the early morning or very late at night. Unfortunately, he had been more than a little tipsy that night when he had paid a cab to take him there, bird seed just stuffed in his pea coat pocket. Five hours later the sun was starting to purple the sky and birds were waking up. Harry’s bum was numb, and he was still more pleasantly buzzed. 

This was Niall’s favourite time of day. The little Irish one only saw it when touring got his hours so mixed he couldn’t tell up from down, or he and the other boys had been out all night and were just getting home to sleep around this time. Harry had pulled him out from time to time to see the parks around the world. And feeding the birds was a big plus. Niall’s loud out of control laughter would settle into giant smiles or muffled gasps as the little birds fluttered close to them to eat the seed and scraps of bread. 

Harry hummed softly to himself and dug his hand deep in his pocket and pulled out as much of the seed as he could gather, throwing it on the ground in front of him. There were absolutely no trees around him and most of the birds were never going to come anywhere around him. That was never something to stop Harry Styles though. Impossible was kind of his thing. Regrettably, that day was not Harry’s day. And there was no Niall to laugh at him and make his abysmal bird feeding failure better. 

~*~  
The studio was always so quite at dawn. Most artists didn’t like coming in at the wee hours of the morning, and getting out to Niall’s house was such a pain. There was a long drive and two gates to pass. Crowds didn’t bother him at that point as much as they used to, maybe because there weren’t that many people interested in the boy bander turned producer/writer as there used to be. Niall knew for a fact that Harry and Liam were still dealing with crowds almost every day. The two gates gave the paranoid part of Niall’s mind rest though. They were well worth the trouble that he put his clients through, and kept them just as safe from screaming hoards. 

Niall went around the back of his house and jumped in the golf cart. He built the studio a ride away from the main house. His mum told him that he had to, so honestly, he had no choice. She said he needed to keep his work and his house separate. One Direction went on hiatus because they were so exhausted, and they were always working, “My baby won’t be doing that anymore.” She had told the contractor frequently. 

Niall would never tell her that he had a tiny couch in there that he slept on most of the time if he is helping a mate produce or write something. He didn’t really seek anyone out to help, and they never really asked for the passion he put in to even the tiniest things. Niall had really come to love all aspects of the music business, and that came out in the things he put his name on. He had helped put together Liam’s first solo record; he and Zayn had even done a little backing vocal for it. He had silently fan girled as he wrote a song with Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez. Their first duet together and Niall’s name was all over that single. He was most proud of music that most would never hear. He and Louis and Eleanor wrote five songs for Max for his first birthday. Louis had never sounded better. 

There was one pop star that Niall really wished had made the trip out to Ireland to see him just to record something. He supposed that Harry had bigger and fancier people to work with, but the fact that he worked with the same people who did most of Up All Night and Take Me Home and not Niall, had hurt him quite a bit. The facts were Louis and Zayn had come to record with Niall and they didn’t even have music careers outside of One Direction. Niall had made a damn good name for himself. He had several top 10 songs in the UK, and Ireland. Justin’s song even made it to number one in the States and Australia. He wondered often why the hell Harry Styles wouldn’t make the flight out to see him. 

It pained Niall even more to think back on just how long it had been since he had seen Harry. One Direction had a charity event a year after the tour for the second album, so it had been a good three years since he had received something more than a happy birthday text, or the odd drunken call at three in the morning. The drunken calls never lasted long and when the calls ended Niall was always left amused and annoyed or worried and wondering if there was something he could do to bring Harry back to the happy place they all used to be, and the rest of them were active rebuilding for themselves. 

He missed Harry more than he ever let on to anyone though. Niall never mentioned to anyone that the little spot with a bench near the woods behind NJH Studios where he went to write was also the place he went to pine for his old friend. He kept a bucket full of seed with a sturdy snap on lid beside the bench. When Niall couldn’t find his muse, or indulged himself in a good mope he would throw it around himself to watch the finches and sparrows. Those were the only times he really let himself miss the timber of Harry’s voices as he tried to quiet Niall’s giggles, or the way his cheeks flushed when he found Niall staring more at him and the way the morning light reflected of Harry’s curls than the birds in front of them.


	2. Part Two

LADIES, the time we have all dreaded has fallen upon us! And every soul here at Sugar Scape office cannot help but cry out all of our feels. One Direction has gone an indefinite HIATUS! We all were saying it couldn’t possibly happen, but we knew in our hearts that it was coming. One of our lads has been slowly pulling away from his friends more and more. Harry has been seen less and less with is now (basically) former band mates over the last couple of weeks they have been home! What happened to our lovely co-dependent boyfriends!? 

Rumour has it our young Harold has decided to go completely solo. While our hearts and ears bleed with an unfathomable eagerness to hear how his gravelly voice serenades on his own, WHY WOULD HE LEAVE 1D?! 

We can only assume it was the foul break-up of our beloved Hario and Louigi that sent our curly haired sex god in to a solo career. We knew that it was rough in Larryville when we saw that big ole rock on Louis long-time girlfriend Eleanor’s ring finger. The growing distance we have seen over the last year probably didn’t help much with the situation. Louis was just being cold and distant to the younger boy more and more! As if breaking his heart wasn’t enough. 

As we have been reporting for a while Harry has been pulling away from the other lads as well recently, even while on the extraordinarily successful Take Me Home tour. Why hasn’t he been out with Zaynie getting more tattoos or ridiculous clubbing mischief? Why haven’t he and Niall snuggled up whilst eating and shopping? Why hasn’t he tagged along when Liam visits an aquarium and random Disney things? He has even been avoiding his current bromance with the lovely BBC Radio morning show host, Nick Grimshaw. 

His heart ache is that bad over Lou getting engaged! And now we hear he was out illegally drinking in the states and had to buy his way out of some police charges! You should know better mister… 

We would show you the soul wrenching, heart breaking, Earth shattering photos of how absolutely wrecked the other lads of 1D look, but our tears have flooded the whole floor, and we don’t even have the energy to try to make a horribly photoshopped collage of happier times. 

~*~ 

There is really no good way to explain the situation Harry found himself in whilst slightly pissed at a park at the crack of dawn, but, “I can’t go out in the normal times. And I really like birds... It’s not wonky for a grown man to walk around the park in the morning and chuck bird seed about for the little tweeters. Hmmm… I probably coulda said that better…” was most certainly not the best way. The drunken hiccup after he finished talking probably hadn’t helped much. The officer certainly wasn’t amused. The photographer that anonymously called the police to complain about the drunken pop star most certainly was. The pictures he nabbed of Harry being taken to the police station worth enough for him to retire. 

Paul had never been so angry, and he didn’t even manage Harry’s career, just the tour and security; Paul had actually flicked him in the head. Harry understood that having a member of security with him would probably carried him home, and out of range of The Sun’s camera man, but the lads made fun of him whenever he brought them along. Harry went to the parks to sulk and feed birds, and the security guys never really indulged him in that. They were also very big, and Harry had convinced himself that they intimidated the little birds away. 

Decisions were made, and calls were frantically placed, and bail was made on the stipulation that Harry just do what they say and disappear for a bit. No one told him that he would be disappearing to Ireland. They did however let it leak to a couple of gossip rags and stalker fans that Harry would be off to Ireland to see Niall. They were hoping a little One Direction reunion with Niall would gloss over Harry’s park fiasco. 

Niall was overwhelmed with the call from a member of Harry’s team. There really couldn’t have been better timing for Harry to flight out. Niall only had one other person coming by for a bit of studio work, so he could really focus and give Harry his all. Really help his friend get some more genuinely good music out to his fans. 

~*~ 

Dishes clicked against each other in the sink of the Tomlinson household like they always did at half one. Having Max put a schedule on Eleanor and Louis’s time that they could deal with. They were both up at seven when they heard giggles coming from the nursery the next door down. Next was breakfast, which lasted for a fast fifteen minutes, but ever his father’s son, the cleanup took an hour. Much to his parents delight that time was much improved over the first time they let him have his own spoon. Max had just about mastered how to use his spoon to scoop his eggs off of his plate and on to the tray of his high seat, not just the floor, sometimes they even went in his mouth. So the banging knock at the door during nap time came as quite a surprise. 

Zayn Malik stood in front of Louis with a hand on his suitcase and the other scratching the back of his head as he smiled underneath his almost beard. His grin only lasted a second before he was being jumped on and then drug inside. As Eleanor walked out of the kitchen drying her hands on a tea towel she found the two of them in a heap in the foyer. She shushed them and threw her tea towel in their direction. 

Louis and Zayn sat in stunned silence playing hurt at her “abominable act of violence,” as Louis called it. Zayn had sat there with his face pulled in to a puppy dog pout. Eleanor rolled her eyes at them as she turned to get her baby, who was yelling in his room. Max waking up turned into another wrestling match as the boys fought over who got the honor of getting him out of the crib. They still argue over whether or not father trumps favourite uncle. The favourite uncle fight is a whole other story. 

~*~*~ 

After what was quite possible the loudest and longest day in Eleanor’s life the boys were finally laying Max down. She chuckled quietly to herself thinking back on how they had monopolised the small play ground near their home. Zayn chasing Max around saying that he was going to kidnap him and take him away forever as Max giggled and screamed trying to run to his father. Louis would scoop him up and then run after Zayn playfully threatening him for scaring the baby. Coming back to the house didn’t stop the running or the yelling, it just added more toys to be thrown around. She refused to think about how long it was going to take to completely dry the bathroom after what looked like all three of them ending up in the tub. 

“I love you.” She said as a still damp Louis had wrapped her up in his arms on the couch. She reached out and squeezed Zayn’s shoulder from where he had flopped down next to her. “And I love you too. Love having you here, but get the hell out of my house.” They both pouted as she laughed. “Max and I can’t handle that much fun every day. You two should go play somewhere else.” 

A failed cooking attempt and a delivery of pizza later and they had decided to show up unannounced to try to scare Niall. Louis knew all the gate codes, and it had been so long since they had pranked the Irish lad. They were both sure he missed it.


	3. Part Three

Liam listened yet again to the demo on his iPod. The production quality was just terrible, and the mix in the background was not even in key with his vocals. It sounded like a young fan had found his song and tried to stuff it in to something that Ke$ha put out. He was too busy pouting to even notice that he had been buzzed through the last gate at Niall’s. 

“Oi! Mate, I am not gonna keep this open all day. I thought you had things you wanted to get done?” Niall’s voice called through the intercom. Liam apologised and told him that he was coming as he gassed his car forward, pulling up and parking beside the house. 

Liam grabbed his bag and went in. Niall was waiting in the kitchen with a cuppa and a grin. “Long time mate! I missed your ugly mug? Now, about this song...” 

Liam groaned and went in to a long winded rant about the lack of professionalism from the young Swedish kid who was supposed to help him with the song, but instead had butchered it, and then sent him a copy like it was the biggest Christmas present under the tree. Liam then realised how mean he sounded and started making excuses for the kid, because no matter what changed Liam never did. 

Niall was double checking that he had turned all the lights off before he took Liam out to the studio when he received a sharp smack on his bum. He made a noise that he will deny making for the rest of his life, but Louis, to this day, is extraordinarily proud of. 

It didn’t take Zayn and Louis long to distract Niall and Liam enough for them to forget about Liam’s single, and to bust out pints and a terrible movie to be background noise for all of them to yell at each other over. The former One Direction members sprawled over each other on the large couch in Niall’s lounge. It was heartwarming and comfortable for all of them to just ramble and catch up. There were several rounds of Favourite Uncle, before Louis declared again that Daddy wins and were they all quite finished. The credits were rolling when there was finally a lull to the noise. A lull that was just quiet enough for everyone to hear Harry's duffel hit the floor. 

He stood there not looking a day over 19. His hair was a milk chocolate halo of curls surrounding his cherub face. His eyes were hidden by black sunglasses, even though the sun had set hours ago, reassuring them that his hipster image wasn’t completely buried under grandpa  
\+ scarves and a black pea coat. 

“Uhhhh…. The gates were open.” Harry slowly drawled to the stunned lads. “So, I let myself in.” There was another beat of awkward silence where Niall's head snapped to Louis, who wouldn't meet Niall's eyes. Louis did have the shame to blush though. 

Harry nodded into the silence and bent down to grab his duffel back off the floor. “Sorry. I was told you knew I was coming.” With that he slid his sunglasses up his face to the crown of his head and turned to leave. Harry had a war with himself the whole trip to Niall’s house anyway. He was quite convinced that the Irish lad was done with him, and only letting him over as a favour for their old friendship. He rarely called Harry to talk anymore, and he never text him at all. Harry was nowhere near ready to be greeted by the other lads snuggled up like they hadn’t spent more time apart than together over the four years since the hiatus. 

“Do you really think we are going to let you run away again?” Louis asked as Harry turned. “You came all this way. You had better put that back down Styles.” 

Harry grinned as he turned the bags under his eyes now visible with his sunglasses tangled in his curls. “You gonna make me stay Tommo?” He challenged. But he had already dropped his bag back down to his feet. Seeing the only people outside his mum and sister he ever really considered home tucked around each other, too much of a temptation to walk away from. “Because I am quite fit now, you know. I can even have a kick around and not want to die.” Zayn and Liam chuckled at how quickly the two went back in to their old banter. Niall just sat wide eyed and red cheeked. 

He wasn’t prepared in the least to really see Harry. As Niall realised he was staring his face flamed up more. How could he not stare though? Harry was still quite fit. His long legs only enhanced by the skinny jeans he still squeezed himself into. The black pea coat did nothing to hide just how strong and broad his shoulders were. The crush Niall thought he had either outgrown or tucked down deep enough to hide came back full force as he saw the dimples on either side of Harry’s cheeky smile. 

“Is that right?” Louis’s face tried to be serious around his grin, but it failed most spectacularly. “Lads, excuse me for a moment while I have a chat with this young man.” 

Louis jumped over the back of the couch and had Harry on the ground before Harry had one arm out of his coat. Louis pinned down and was taking advantage of every ticklish spot on Harry’s body. Harry's time away from Louis to blame for his slow flexes. It couldn’t possibly have been that Louis wanted to tease and tickle him, and that Harry could never deny Louis what he wanted. 

It quickly turned in to a dog pile as a slightly tipsy Liam needed to help defend Harry from Louis, but Zayn couldn’t allow his partner in crime to be outmatched. Niall just jumped on top of all of them, because he knew it would end in cuddles, and he had a distinct lack of cuddles in his life around that time. 

Eventually Harry groaned and complained about being smothered to death, laughing as he whinged that they should all get up off of him. The way they arranged themselves wasn’t much different as they climbed back on to the over-stuffed sofa. The addition of Harry did make it a bit more a tight squeeze, but none of them complained. In fact they bombarded the youngest of them with questions about his successful solo career and giggling swooned over his mother and sister. 

Later in the evening, after Louis had decided that pints just weren’t strong enough, and Louis got too lazy to pour mix drinks, Niall, Zayn and Liam just started sharing swigs straight from a bottle of vodka. Harry and Louis slowed down, neither of them wanting to have to deal with a hangover in the morning. 

As evening turned to early morning Liam remembered that he had a song to fix. The thought of getting to play with all of Niall’s expensive music equipment was enough to refresh the boys enough for them to leave the house and head to the studio. That Niall didn’t stop them, and make everyone wait until everyone had sobered up was testament to just how happily drunk he had gotten.


	4. Part Four

BATTLE OF THE BOYBANDERS!!! Or rather the former boybanders. Liam Payne and Harry Styles are having a battle of the records, and it means we all win. And if the interviews are anything to go by, they love it just as much as we do. Liam blushed and said he was so happy that Harry got number one. Harry took a page from the One Direction play book and gave a massive thank you to all the fans who have bought either one of the albums. 

For the last three weeks Harry and Liam’s albums have been switching place back and forth in first and second place. Directioners have been buying both albums, almost shoving their money at iTunes and music store cashiers. We were so guilty that Liam’s debut solo album beat out Harry’s and then guilty that Harry was back in second. So we bought his again to make sure he was back in first. THIS IS THE BIGGEST CRISIS WE HAVE HAD TO DEAL WITH ALL YEAR!!! 

Well, that or maybe that fact that we keep getting these fantastic photos of Zayn all hot and sweaty while helping build schools in Africa. Dealing with all those feels is a crisis in and of itself. 

Of course the gorgeous boys of 1D could never leave us alone. Niall’s pretty face was all over the news recently as he lunched with Ed Sheeran (rumour has it that Niall is helping Ed write his new album. A lovely change of pace, if you ask us.) 

OF course our lives wouldn’t be completely ruined without Louis walking around with the most beautiful grin as he showed off his son. Max is already breaking hearts with his big doe eyes and a grin that matches mischievous tooth for mischievous tooth with his father. Lord save us all when that kid turns 18, because a single Tomlinson man might just literally kill us. 

~*~*~ 

The late night air was chilly, and none of them had the thought to put on a coat. Fortunately, the alcohol in their system was enough to keep them mostly warm. 

Harry and Niall were the last to make it out of the house. Liam, Louis and Zayn all less worried about getting the lights shut off, and cleaning up the empty bottles they knocked over. The reward for youngest two’s cleanliness was that they got to watch Louis speed off in to the night on the golf cart to the studio. Liam sitting in the seat next to him red faced and giggling, while Zayn hung on the back letting out a whoop of delight as they hit a bump just right and Louis got all four wheels off the ground. 

Niall laughed at the joy he saw in the other boys, and that laugh sent a shock of giddiness straight to Harry’s belly. He felt it warming his fingers and toes, and pulling at chords in his soul that Harry was long ago sure he quieted. Strolling down the path to the studio was the most nervous Harry had felt all night. Having Niall close enough that he could leach body heat off the older man was hastening his heart up more than he would ever care to admit. He certainly didn’t complain when Niall yawned and pulled Harry back so his long legs wouldn’t leave Niall behind. 

Niall, for his part, seemed to not notice, or chose not to notice. He hummed to himself; a song that Harry was pretty sure was a song off Harry’s album. If it was that was just too adorable to handle, and Harry would have to stab himself in the thigh. 

“It’s really nice here,” Harry broke the silence. Niall lazily blinked at him, a satisfied smile stretching across his face. “I really like this part of Ireland. I think you spoiled me with it when I first came out here.” 

Niall grinned, “Yeah. That was a fun weekend. You swooned all of Mullingar in a couple of hours. You even had Greg blushing.” 

They reached the front of the studio. It was beautiful. Niall had it all dressed up in greens and creams. The building looked a bit like a barn, but the front two walls where mostly taken up by two oval windows. The windows were separated by a hunter green door, with NJH Studios painted in gold below a little oval window. The window on the door tilted the opposite way as the widows on the front wall. Like everything that Harry had suppressed about Niall, it was quite cute. 

Harry was just about to reach for the door to go inside when Niall snatched his hand away, pulling him farther behind the building. Niall declared there was something he needed to show him, but all Harry could think about was just how warm Niall’s hand was in his. Niall twisted his wrist just a bit and laced their fingers, and rational thought fled him for a minute. Niall’s hand fit perfect in his. Harry tried desperately to block the other clichés about perfect moments that seemed to flood his mind. 

“I don’t know if you remember or not,” Niall whispered as he flopped down on the bench behind the studio. “But you kinda got me addicted to early mornings and feeding birds.” Harry stood facing him, but that just wouldn’t do for Niall. He pulled the younger boy down beside him. Niall curled into Harry making content and sleepy noises. Harry’s whole body tensed. Niall didn’t seem to notice. He was either ignoring it or too drunk to care. Niall nestled his head under Harrys, his breath ghosting under Harrys t-shirt and across his collar bones, causing Harry to shudder. “I wouldn’t give my sleep up for just anyone you know.” Harry wrapped his arms around Niall. He needed the emotional support and to steal some of Niall’s warmth. 

Niall turned his head in to Harry’s chest, his hands tightened around Harry’s middle as he tried to impossible task of pulling himself even closer to Harry without being completely in his lap. “I think I fell in love with you on those mornings.” Niall giggled, the heat from his flushing face seeping in to Harry’s chest. The words were barely audible, and Harry wasn’t quite sure if he was supposed to hear them. “You just looked so cute and happy when we could sneak away, just the two of us.” 

Niall yawned tipping his head up. Harry would never have known the kiss planted on the soft spot of his neck, where his jaw and neck met, had ever happened it was so fast. But his skin felt too tight and the imprint of Niall’s mouth lingered long after Niall made snuffling sleep sounds in to the lightening sky.


	5. Part Five

Louis had always been the instigator in One Directions childish antics, but it never failed that when Daddy Direction needed a night off Louis would step up and takes over the role. He would never call himself Mummy Direction, but the oldest of the boys would never lie and say that he wasn’t the most nurturing. He didn’t delude himself that Niall and Harry could just get over whatever it was that had been brewing between them all those years ago. And if they had thought they were hiding it well, they were both very wrong. The other boys knew exactly why Harry wanted to go on hiatus. 

They didn’t know the gritty details, like if either of the younger boys had ever actually manned up to said something to the each other, but Louis was guessing by the way Harry was so desperate to run away, that neither of them had. 

When half an hour passed after he convinced Liam and Zayn they needed to record a cover of “Fuck a Dog in the Ass” by Blink 182, and Niall and Harry still hadn’t arrived in the studio he went to investigate. Luckily for him, Liam and Zayn had passed out curled around each other on the tiny couch in the front of the studio. He had felt no reason to wake them and let them know he was off to snoop. 

He walked out of the studio wrapping his arms around himself and muttering about the cold. Louis wondered if he should drive back to the house and see if they decided to stay up there and warm rather than wander in the chilly night down to the studio. He was saved from searching though when he heard a loud yawn from behind the studio. 

Louis crept back hoping he would find something wonderfully long awaited happening. He really hoped it was happening around this time too, because he had 100 quid on fall as the season Niall would finally get laid with Eleanor. He was rarely right, and having this to lord over might just be the best present of the year. Max’s father’s day card aside of course. 

No one could have been prepared for what he actually saw when he poked his head around the corner. Niall’s lanky legs tucked behind him, but his legs were too long to fit on the bench that way, so his knees were hanging off. He had his head tucked under Harry’s head; while Harry had his laid down on top of Niall’s. Harry’s curls twisted into the light brunette of Niall’s hair while Harry’s arms twisted the same way around Niall’s middle holding him against his chest. Harry had his legs sprawled out in front of him; his bum scooted as far forward as it could to give Niall more room to curl his arms around his waist. 

It broke Louis heart to have to wake them, and bring them back inside. He knew that they would both appreciate not catching a cold from staying out in air bordering on freezing though, and their bones would not like the stiffness that came from sleeping on a hard bench all night. All that on top of the hang over they were sure to have would equal to very grumpy kittens in the morning, if his memory served him right. Louis, himself, was already mostly sober from jumping around with the other boys and drinking lots of water in the studio while they recorded their silly song. 

He walked the rest of the way behind the studio clearing his throat. Harry’s head shot up entirely too fast for someone who was asleep. And the terror he saw in the younger man’s eyes was agonising, a knife twisting in his soul for Niall. Louis knew with all of his being that it wasn’t Louis coming around the corner that scared Harry, it was the man he had harmlessly wrapped around his middle. 

“We should get him inside.” Harry had said softly. “He is starting to get cold.” 

“Alright,” Louis agreed. He walked over and pulled Niall up, laughing softly as Niall complained that he didn’t need to go anywhere because he was comfortable. Louis and Harry only got him to go along willingly when the reminded him that his bed would be even more comfortable. Louis slid him in the passenger seat of the golf cart, telling Harry to wait for him as he collected the others. 

~*~*~ 

Liam and Zayn are incredibly cuddly people, and when they are inebriated it is so much better. It’s another of those big brother things that makes Louis ego swell and feel incredibly proud. 

When the boys hesitantly went to Harry’s stepdad’s bungalow to meet and pretend to practise Louis saw how uncomfortable Liam and Zayn were in their skin. The harsh words bullies and asshole spewed at them almost visibly wrapped around them, making their every social move hesitant or aborted half way through. Louis could never let them walk around feeling isolated, so Louis did what he did with his sisters and threw himself at them bodily. At first he felt the two of them completely freeze up and shut down. It was Louis favourite to do with Liam, because he would flush a red so deep it shamed Niall. Seeing Liam and Zayn wrapped around each other that night and knowing how completely comfortable with themselves and each other they were made Louis' heart warm. The fact Zayn’s thumb was buried in his mouth with his pointer finger wrapped around his nose and his head tucked under Liam’s chin, proving that he still hadn’t beat his old thumb sucking habit was just the cherry on the night. 

Louis happily took a picture with his phone and sends it to Eleanor while making it his background. 

He spent a lot of time hovering outside Niall’s room. He wasn’t sure if he would be needed for clean-up. He might have been needed to clean up after Niall; Louis hadn’t seen the Irish lad that drunk since they were kids. Much too everyone’s misfortune Louis guessed if he would be needed it would be to clean up whatever the mess was that Harry would leave if he fell into his fear and ran away. Again. 

When Louis got impatient after a few minutes of waiting he opened Niall’s bedroom door and peeked inside. Harry was in his pants and his t-shirt with an even more naked Niall hugging his back as the big spoon. If it wasn’t a long time coming and extraordinarily cute Louis would have laughed at how absurd it was that Niall was the big spoon sheets crumpled in a ball and clutched to Harry’s chest. He of course didn't hesitate to take another picture, hoping the flash off his phone wouldn't disturb either of them. 

~*~*~ 

Stage fright was the closest thing Harry had ever experienced to the feelings of sheer panic and overwhelming terror he felt as he helped Niall out of his clothes. He was trying desperately to squash it down. It was also one of the few times that he ever undressed someone with the intention of sleeping with them. Not that the urges weren't there. 

Every speckled inch of pale skin that slid out of clothing made Harry's fingers itch to touch. Slipping Niall's jeans down his legs made Harry's palms burn to smooth over him and warm his legs up. Made Harry wish to wrap his fingers loosely around Niall's ankle to run his fingers over the delicate bones there to relearn if Niall was ticklish, or if it would spread the blush further down his chest, or make his breath catch in his throat and stop the intermittent giggles drunkenly escaping from the older man.   
When Niall whipped his vest over his head and laid back on the bed arching his back and unconsciously showed off the muscles in his flat stomach and lean hips the world dropped for Harry. He snapped his hands back from where they had been reaching to fill the slots of Niall's rib.   
“S’tired,” Niall groaned as he hit the bed, “My head hurts…hot.” He crawled up the bed, away from Harry's grasp, and laid his head on the pillows. Niall flopped on his back and made grabby hands for the sheets even though he had just complained about being hot. 

Harry grabbed the sheets and pulled them up covering Niall. The other man mumbled something into his pillow, and Harry guessed it was a thank you. Niall, for lack of a better word, wiggled down in to the covers and made a happy sound. 

Harry was glad that he knew where the lounge was, and even gladder he knew that the sofa was comfortable enough to sleep on. He turned to shuffle off the bed and head off to sleep, when Niall’s sleepy hands his leg and pulled. “No. Don’t leave. Cuddle me more. I deserve a good cuddle for the hangover I am gonna have in the morning.” 

The panic and fear started surface again. As it clawed up his spine Harry saw the missed opportunities with Niall flash in behind his eyes. One word stuck in his head repeating, and made him turn on his bum and begin to pull his jeans off. Why? It repeated over and over again in his head. 

Why was he afraid of Niall? He was happy, and easy to be around. Why would he leave? Niall loved him, maybe not in the way Harry liked to pretend he didn’t need, but still a true love. Why couldn’t he just let himself be happy? 

With no answer to that he settled himself in front of Niall, who happily scooted up behind Harry to be the big spoon. It was the most comfortable that he had felt in so long. 

Niall pressed a sweaty head against the back of his neck. Not wanting that Harry pulled the covers away from him and tucked them around his arms. He was settled again when he heard Louis open the door and check on them. He could almost feel Louis satisfied smile as he slowly clicked the door closed again. 

Niall must have been waiting for it, because as soon as the door was closed again he pulled on Harry’s shoulders until he was laying on his back. “Don’t freak out.” And with that Niall’s lips where on his. 

It was soft, and a little hesitant, but fantastic. Niall’s lips were smooth and warm, and when he lightly sucked Harry’s bottom lip into his mouth, Harry brought his knees up trying to wrap in on himself it felt so good. Niall would have none of that though. 

Niall wrapped his hand around Harry’s thigh and pressed it back down in to the bed. He hooked his leg in between Harry’s to keep him flat. Niall pulled himself up Harry and laid his chest mostly on top of Harry. Harry felt Niall’s smooth skin against his thighs and under his palms. He loved the way he could feel the muscles of Niall’s back pull as he shifted over him to get comfortable. “You okay?” Niall asked gasping and pulling back. 

“Brilliant.” Harry breathed against Niall’s mouth. 

Niall nipped at Harry’s lips and slid his tongue over the seam of Harry’s mouth begging for permission. He gasped his mouth open and pulled Niall closer to him. When Niall’s tongue slid into his mouth he knew that every was most definitely going to be okay. He might just forget about his album and stay here forever. He snapped his hand down to stop Niall from exploring too much more of him. That could wait until his was sober in the morning.

**Author's Note:**

> This was written for the 1Dolymfics from a promt.  
> I almost went batshit writing it, but you know. Crazy brings out the best fluffy stuff. lol


End file.
